Gegard Mousasi Dominates Renato 'Babalu' Sobral, Wins Strikeforce Belt
One of the best young fighters in all of MMA made his American debut in spectacular fashion Saturday night, as Gegard Mousasi won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, beating Renato "Babalu" Sobral by first-round TKO.
It was an absolutely destructive performance by Mousasi, who took Babalu down in the first minute of the first round, got on top of him and punched him in the face repeatedly until Babalu was out cold and referee Big John McCarthy stepped in to save him.
"I wanted to fight stand-up," Mousasi said afterward. "But if I can take advantage of takedowns I will. ... It feels good. There was some pressure because it was the first time in the U.S., but I just wanted to perform well."
Mousasi, who last year won the Dream middleweight tournament, is probably at his best at light heavyweight, where he's now fighting with Strikeforce. He's a force to be reckoned with. (Mousasi is also fighting in Dream's heavyweight Super Hulk Tournament, and he has said he wants to dabble in boxing and kickboxing as well.) Whatever he does going forward, the 24-year-old Mousasi is a brilliant fighter, and one every MMA fan needs to know.
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One of the best young fighters in all of MMA made his American debut in spectacular fashion Saturday night, as Gegard Mousasi won the Strikeforce light heavyweight title, beating Renato "Babalu" Sobral by first-round TKO.
It was an absolutely destructive performance by Mousasi, who took Babalu down in the first minute of the first round, got on top of him and punched him in the face repeatedly until Babalu was out cold and referee Big John McCarthy stepped in to save him.
"I wanted to fight stand-up," Mousasi said afterward. "But if I can take advantage of takedowns I will. ... It feels good. There was some pressure because it was the first time in the U.S., but I just wanted to perform well."
Mousasi, who last year won the Dream middleweight tournament, is probably at his best at light heavyweight, where he's now fighting with Strikeforce. He's a force to be reckoned with. (Mousasi is also fighting in Dream's heavyweight Super Hulk Tournament, and he has said he wants to dabble in boxing and kickboxing as well.) Whatever he does going forward, the 24-year-old Mousasi is a brilliant fighter, and one every MMA fan needs to know.
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